Unrequited
by Permanent Rose
Summary: /If someone were going to love me, I wanted it to be for who I truly was, not because of some strange, manipulative imprinting crap/ Nessie's fully grown, and Jake's ready to start a relationship. But Nessie has plans of her own, which don't involve Jake
1. Bad Dreams

_A/N: In a bit of a confusing situation, I ended up with two betas for this story, which actually turned out nicely. I want to thank Taybee and xxTunstall Chickxx very much for beta-ing for me. I truly appreciate it. You both rock :)_

_And as always, I want to thank Jennalynne who never fails to motivate and push me (even when I groan and whine and complain, etc :D) And I want the thank the Duchessina, who is always there for me, and will read anything I've written (even if she herself has not read the orginal book or seen the movie). Oh yes, and willywonka5 (if you're even reading this) I want to thank you as well. You also add humor to situations (especially in your reviews :D)_

_Anyway, the prologue is very short. I'm sorry about that. And what's written in the prologue may seem to contradict what's written in my summary, but I can assure you all your confusion will be cleared up by chapter one. _

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_Prologue—Bad Dreams_

**Jacob**

Her hot breath beat rhythmically against the base of my neck at a slow and even pace. Her long bronze curls spilled out across my face, smelling faintly of strawberries. She fit so perfectly in the curve of my chest, curled up like a tight ball, rising and falling with each breath I took.

I took her small hand gently in mine; almost at once, the images of her dreams filled my mind. They were more coherent than they had been when she was first born. Instead of only swirling colors and sporadic images of people, they were more like quickly changing scenes. First, it was her father teaching her to play the piano, then, her mother reading Shakespeare to her. But the scene quickly changed to a bright sunny meadow. I could not see her in her own dream, but I could hear her bell-like laughter ringing through the air.

"Jacob!" she called into the surrounding forest.

Even in her dreams, I loved to hear her say my name. I beamed with pride as the dream continued.

There was a rustling in the nearby underbrush, but in the shadows of the foliage, nothing could be seen.

"Jacob!" she called again. I could feel her excitement building. Any moment, I expected a large russet wolf to jump out from the surrounding forest and rush to the little girl.

A moment later, a figure appeared, but it wasn't the wolf that I had been expecting. It was a tall, dark figure clad in a black, billowy cloak. His skin was as thin as a layer of onion skin, and it sparkled faintly in the overhead sun. His eyes, blood red and filmed over, started menacingly at my Nessie, boring into her skin.

"We've come back for you," he hissed, reaching out for her. As soon as he said the words, a band of cloaked figures identical to himself began to float from all angles of the wood, circling in around Nessie, gathering so close that only the ebony of their cloaks could be seen.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, it caught in her chest as the cloaked figure's hand closed around her throat.

"Ness! Nessie! Wake up!" I shook her awake before the rest of the dream could ensue.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and I could see her lashes were edged in tears. Her bottom lip trembled as she fought the urge to cry.

"Oh, Jacob!" She threw her small arms around my neck. I could feel her hot tears spill down my skin. "You saw it all, didn't you?"

"Yes," I whispered, stroking her hair, trying to console her. "Is that what you fear? That they will come back for you?" It pained me to know that this small child carried such a burden. I wanted to do everything in my power to let her know she would be all right, to let her know that I would make everything okay. I pulled her closer to me. "They're not coming back. We won, Ness. And if they did, I would single-handedly slaughter every last one of them."

This seemed to please her. She reached out to show me an image of a russet wolf sitting on top of a pile of pale, severed limps. I shuddered, wrapping my arms securely around her.

"My Jacob," she murmured, pulling her arms tightly around my neck. I loved it when she said those words. I was hers and only hers. And then she added, so quietly that I could barely hear, "I will love you forever."

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_A/N: The title is subject to change. I will let you know before hand when I plan to change it. If you have any suggestions as to what I should call it, please let me know._


	2. Hate, or Something Like That

_A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. And again, I want to thanks my beta's, Taybee and xxTunstall Chickxx_

_This chapter takes place about eight years later, if you can't figure that out. Enjoy, and as always, please review :)_

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Chapter I—Hate, or Something Like That

**Renesmee**

_Sparrow, my lady's pet,_

_with whom she often plays whilst she holds you in her lap,_

_or gives you her finger-tip to peck and_

_provokes you to bite sharply,_

_whenever she, the bright-shining lady of my love,_

_has a mind for some sweet pretty play,_

_in hope, as I think, that when the sharper smart of love abates,_

_she may find some small relief from her pain--_

_ah, might I but play with you as she does,_

_and lighten the gloomy cares of my heart!_

_This is as welcome to me as (they say)_

_to the swift maiden was the golden apple,_

_which loosed her girdle too long tied._

I read through the new book my mother had just purchased me for my eighth birthday, _The Poems of Catullus, _complete with the original Latin text and the English translation. I had a pair of head phones jammed deeply into my ears, screamo music blaring. It was Emmett's contribution to my ipod, as a joke, but I tended to listen to it more often than not. I liked to say it was to peeve my father, who refused to like any music more recent than the fifties. But really, it was because the loud, incomprehensible lyrics toned out all the other noises from around the rest of the house that I could hear all too well with my sensitive ears.

I snapped the book shut, sick of reading about love, especially unrequited love, which was a touchy topic these days. It made my head hurt to think about it. I turned my music up a notch higher, knowing that either my father or my mother would be up soon to tell me to turn it down. No doubt they could probably hear it just as well as I could.

I sighed, falling back against the pile of pillows and blankets that lay scattered across my bed. My room was the smallest in the house, partially due to the fact that I was the only one who didn't share a room and didn't need a queen (or king) sized bed. But I didn't mind at all. In fact, my small, dark room suited me just fine, and I would've chosen it over any of the other rooms even it I had the choice. I had covered my windows with thick, black curtains that blocked out most light, even in the middle of the day, making it always feel dim and cozy. My walls were painted dark purple with a black ceiling, which I had covered in glow in the dark stick-on stars. I knew they were a childish endeavor, but I loved to watch them glow as I fell asleep at night, especially from the perch of my top bunk. I loved my bunk bed more than anything; it was like a little nook in the corner of my room, covered in pillows and blankets and scattered with all my favorite books.

We had moved from Forks to an unpopulated area north of the La Push Reservation area when I had been about four years old (physically, about eight or nine), when it became too risky for my never changing family plus rapidly changing me to stay in Forks any longer. A few months ago, after I was completely grown, we had moved further south to Portland, Oregon where Carlisle could begin to work in a new position, and the rest of us could begin to interact with humans again. It had been especially hard to leave my grandpa, Charlie, behind and the Quileute pack was especially displeased about the distance, particularly Jacob, though he did come to visit regularly.

I shuddered at the thought of Jacob now, willing my mind to think of something else. I turned up my music even louder, only to have my door swing open a moment later.

It was my mother.

"Don't you ever knock?" I mumbled irritably. I turned up the music as loud as it went, ignoring the sharp pain in my ears.

My mother glared from the door way. Physically, she appeared to be no older than me, maybe even younger because she rarely ever wore makeup. She showed no sign of leaving anytime soon.

"Fine," I muttered after a moment, yanking the head phones from my ears and turning my ipod off. "Are you happy now?"

"Actually, that wasn't what I came up here for, though it was getting annoying," she answered. "I just wanted to let you know that Jacob's here."

"Shit," I muttered, making a move to shove the headphone in my ears once again.

"Don't, Renesmee," my mother warned. My mother was the only one who still called me Renesmee, and I hated it. It sounded like a name of some fatal disease. At least Nessie was somewhat normal.

"But, _Bella_," I whined, which got me another glare because she hated it when I called her by her first name, though it was the way I referred to her at school. The fact that my mother looked my age was slightly unsettling, not to mention the fact my grandparents appeared only a few years older. It didn't seem like the same rules of calling your parents "mom" and "dad" or your grandparents "grandma" and "grandpa" should apply to my family.

"Renesmee, I know this doesn't thrill you, but I want you to come down and at least pretend to be friendly," she told me, then added. "And that means now."

I cursed a bit more under my breath as I jumped down from my bunk. "I'll be down in a minute, _Mom_," I stressed the last word.

She left after that, slamming the door, but not before I could hear her mumble something about rebellious teenage daughters. I smiled.

Before heading downstairs, I combed my fingers through my hair. It fell just past my breasts in thick ringlets. Just recently, I had dyed it a shade of deep umber, much to my mother's displeasure. I applied another coat of black liquid eyeliner to my lids and a layer of mascara to my thick lashes. I wasn't what you would call goth, but my appearance had become somewhat darker over the years.

I should've expected a visit from Jacob; it had been nearly two weeks since he had last come, a blessing on my behalf. It wasn't that I didn't like Jacob, or at least it hadn't started out that way.

Jacob had been part of my life since I was born (Even before, Rosalie had told me stories about my mother's pregnancy.) In those first few years of my life, I simply adored him. He was like an older sibling to me, even more so than Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie, simply because the fact that he always there. He was everything a little girl could've wanted, a constant playmate, an older brother, a shoulder to cry on when there was no where else to turn.

But as I grew older and began to understand more about they way the world worked, I had to wonder _why. _I knew for a fact the not everyone had their own personal Jacob. It just wasn't reasonable to have someone at your beck and call, the way I had Jacob. I knew for a fact (mostly from Rosalie) that vampires and werewolves were natural enemies. So why did Jacob bother to spend so much time in such close proximity to all these vampires?

There was only one reasonable person to ask, and that was Claire. Claire lived on the La Push reservation, and was (literally) three years older than I was, though now, I appeared almost ten years older than she did. I had played with her a fair amount of times over the years, especially when I had been much younger. At a point in time, we both appeared to be about the same age. Claire was a sweet girl, but sometimes frustrating to play with because her mental capacity was so much lower than my own. But my parents encouraged me to play with her because there were no other children around my age that I would have the opportunity to interact with. So I grudgingly complied and played her silly little princess and fairy games. Though we were very different and barely had a thing in common, there was one similarity.

Claire had Quil. Quil was to her as Jacob was to me. And it fascinated me to have found another person who shared this "older brother" figure in her life. So at one of our play dates, I asked her how much she knew.

"Quil has been my big brother for as long as I can remember," she had told me. She was about seven at the time. "I don't really know why, but I think it might be about our stories. We tell them around the campfire," she explained.

"And what are these stories about?" I prodded, trying to hide my excitement.

"About the wolf tribe and stories about them." She was tiring of the topic quickly. We were down by the tide pools at the beach, and she had begun to pull clumps of seaweed and shells from the water. She held up a coral colored shell. "Look, Nessie!"

"Do they say anything about people like Quil and Jacob?" I was losing my patience.

"Uh," she jumped clumsily from rock to rock. I agilely followed. "I can't really remember. Only something about imprints."

And that was the most I could get out of her, but it turned out to be all I needed. When I got home that evening, I seized my father's laptop and began to search for Quileute Legends and imprinting. I was horrified at what I found. Of course, not all of it was true, but I got the gist.

I ran up to my room, locked the door, and refused to speak to anyone, especially Jacob. Finally, my father unhinged my door from the frame to see what could've upset me so much. I didn't need to tell him much. He could read minds.

"Oh, Nessie, love, I'm so sorry," he whispered, cradling me in his arms. "We didn't mean for you to find out this way."

"When did you plan to tell me?" I snapped, shocking my father with my vehement reaction.

He didn't speak and I knew that they had never planned how they would tell me. They only hoped things would fall into place.

"So Jacob doesn't really love me?" Tears threatened at the corners of my eyes as I said the words. "He only loves me because he has to?"

"No, no, Nessie!" My father exclaimed. "It's not like that. He would've loved you anyway."

Though he hid it well, I could hear him falter slightly words. But I didn't question him further because I knew he would only feed me more lies.

Instead, I went to the person I knew wouldn't hesitate to tell me the truth. Rosalie.

It was no secret that Rosalie hated Jacob, which was not surprising with my knowledge of vampires and werewolves. But I always suspected it went deeper than that.

"Rosie? Can I ask you something?" I remembered crawling into her arms (though I was nearly the size of a ten-year-old) and using my sweetest voice.

"You can ask me anything you want, Nessie, darling," she crooned, flipping me around in her lap so she could braid my hair. Sometimes I wished she were my mother instead of Bella. With her, I could get away with practically anything.

"Will you tell me about my mother's pregnancy?"

I was never quite the same after that conversation. I had begged and pleaded for every last detail until I finally understood the whole picture. And it was much, much worse than I had imagined.

Ultimately, it all came down to this. Jacob had been in love with my mother. During her pregnancy, he wanted nothing more than to see me dead, and my entire family, besides Rosalie and my mother, agreed with him to a certain extent.

Of course, after my successful birth, everyone loved me. Especially Jacob, because of the power of this "imprinting". But I can you assure he would've hated me with a passion otherwise.

Jacob pleaded with me, but no matter what he said, I could never make myself look at him the same way. If someone were going to love me, I wanted it to be for who I truly was, not because of some strange, manipulative imprinting shit.

I sighed as I opened the door and trudged down the steps as slowly as I could manage. Before I reached the living room, I could smell Jacob. His scent never used to bother me, probably because I had been born with him practically under my nose. But since I saw him only intermittently nowadays, I was beginning to understand why Rosalie complained so much about the stench. It wasn't an unpleasant odor, but it wasn't very pleasant either. I supposed my human senses neutralized it a bit. I wondered how I smelled to him.

"Hey, Ness," Jacob said as soon as I entered the room, his eyes lighting up.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Hey, Jacob."

I sat down on the couch opposite of him, pulling my knees tightly to my chest. In front of me, the coffee table was laden with almost every kind of snack imaginable. Esme had been busy.

I reached for a chip and dunked it in the chili dip. I chewed on it slowly, wondering what it was that humans liked so much about this crap.

"You dyed your hair," Jacob stated, grabbing and tugging on a small strand.

_Duh, _I thought, but only nodded and pulled my head away. Where was the rest of my family? Where they trying to make this awkward?

I began to think of all the ways I could escape when Emmett entered the room dressed in Seahawks jersey, and his face painted white and blue to match. "Who's up for some football?"

Oh, darling, darling Emmett! I mouthed him a "thank you" as he sat down on the couch and reached for the remote. He flashed me a grin.

The rest of the family joined us shortly. My mother picked up a conversation with Jacob, and my father sat beside her, absentmindedly stroking her hair. Alice would comment before every play began, effectively ruining the game for Emmett, who liked to watch football the proper way, Carlisle and Jasper were talking with each other, and Rosalie soon joined them after it was apparent to her that I was not in a good mood and therefore would not speak to anyone. Esme was busy fretting over everyone and making sure Jacob had enough food.

I counted the minutes until I would be free.

As evening settled in, the orange glow of the sun seeping through the windows, Seattle scored the winning touchdown. My family broke into applause and unnecessary commotion, and I seized the moment to escape unnoticed.


	3. Dates and Dances

_A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to review. _

_And as always, thanks to my betas, Taybee and xxTunstall Chickxx. _

_Chapter II_

**Renesmee**

I was staring intently at the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling when the door to my bedroom swung open. Once again, it was my mother, here to reprimand me, no doubt.

"Renesmee," she started. I made a face. She began again. "Nessie, I know it's hard for you, and you don't want to like Jacob, let alone love him, but I want you to give him a chance."

"Easy for you to say," I snapped. "How many times did you make out with him again?"

She took a sharp intake of breath. I knew I had hit the spot; any reminder of my mother's past relationship with my "soul mate" made her uncomfortable. I was expecting her to storm out of the room as she had done earlier.

But instead, she hoisted herself up to my top bunk in one swift movement. I could only stare at her in disbelief.

"Oh, Nessie," she sighed, reaching out to wrap her arms around me.

Instead of flinching away like she expected me to, I leaned into my mother's cold, stony embrace.

"I'd better let you get some sleep. School tomorrow," she reminded me detangling herself from our embrace and swinging her legs over side of the bed, preparing to jump down.

"Don't go, Mom," I found myself pleading before I could stop myself.

She smiled, but tried not to appear too excited, fearing she would ruin my sporadic (and very rare) good mood. "Oh, Nessie, love," she whispered, beginning to stroke my hair the way she had when I had been younger.

She began to hum a nameless tune softly in my ear. Her voice was nowhere near as beautiful as my father's, but there was something comforting about it, something that only a mother's voice could hold that made me prefer it.

I let the rebellious, badass Nessie fall away, if only for a moment, as I fell asleep in my mother's arms.

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In attempt to stay in Portland for as long as possible, we were all posing as high school students. We all had to appear as young as possible. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were posing as seniors, my mother and father as juniors, and Alice and I, being the smallest, were getting by as sophomores. As always, Rosalie and Jasper were twins, and my father was playing the role of my older brother. As in Forks, we were all the adopted children of Esme and Carlisle.

I drove to school with Alice in her yellow Porsche (she didn't give a damn about appearing ostentatious) while the rest of my family crammed into my father's Lexus (he had graduated from his silver Volvo a few years ago.)

"You know, Nessie, you should think about getting your license soon. I know your father would love an excuse to buy another car," Alice told me as we sped down the road toward the high school at an ungodly speed.

"Remember, Alice, I supposedly just turned fifteen," I reminded her. "We'll have to wait another year."

Alice pretended to pout. "You're ruining all my fun! Well, I guess it gives us time to find the newest and most expensive car we can."

I pointedly rolled my eyes. A moment later, we pulled into the school parking lot.

"I'm going to find Bree, okay, Alice?" I told her as we got out of the car.

She nodded. "I'll see you in World Affairs."

The cold November air hit my face as I strode across the parking lot toward the entrance of the school. The cold didn't bother me; my body temperature was naturally much warmer than humans. I wondered how soon it would be until it snowed. Only a few brown leaves remained on the trees, struggling with all their might to stay attached to the branches as the sharp wind rattled though them. Erratic flurries had begun to swirl in the icy air. It wouldn't be long until it began to land.

As always, Breanne was waiting impatiently for me at my locker. She rode the bus to school, which usually arrived before I did.

"Nessie!" she shrieked, rushing forward to envelope me in a tight hug. As always, I had to be careful with Bree's sporadic embraces. My ability to show people my thoughts seemed somewhat useless and inconvenient nowadays, considering I could communicate fine through speaking. There were only a few things I still found it useful for. Like my father and his mind reading abilities, I had learned to control my power to an extent. When I had been younger, anytime someone made skin to skin contact with me, they could see my thoughts whether I meant for them to or not. But over the years, I had leaned to stop my thoughts from permeating to others whenever they touched me unless I wanted them to. Sometimes though, if I were caught unaware, my thoughts would slip out.

"You're acting like you haven't seen me in years," I told her, but hugged her back almost as enthusiastically. Breanne was the closest thing I had to a best friend. She was a tall, skinny girl with short strawberry blonde hair. My family couldn't understand why I preferred the company of humans; they tended to avoid them like the plague. For one thing, I already spent enough time with my family at home. But even more so than that, I was quite intrigued by humans. My family tended to live in the future, for lack of a better term. Since they had an eternity, it was always, "We'll do it tomorrow," or, "How about in a few more years?" Humans, though, lived more in the moment. Bree was always spontaneous and full of surprises, and since I hadn't lived a human life plus countless decades or more as an immortal, I savored each new experience and little discovery that someone who had an eternal life ahead of them tended to overlook.

"You didn't call me this weekend," she answered. I was still adjusting to the ways of human girls, and I found it astonishing how much they kept in contact after school hours. I found it all very tiring.

"I'm sorry, Bree," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be getting a cell phone soon enough, and then we can text whenever. God, it feels like my birthday will never come!" Bree was one of the unfortunate teenagers who were still cell phone-less. I had only gotten one a few months ago when I had started school. I hadn't had a need for one until that point, but as I had discovered after starting school, they were quite essential. I pitied Bree for not having one, but her sixteenth birthday was only a few months away, and that was her promised present.

The shrill ringing of the bell cut our conversation short.

"I'll see you in World Affairs!" I called to Breanne as we went our separate ways.

The morning passed by in a daze. Though I had never had any formal education before this point, my parents had taught me more than the average adult even knew, so my classes tended to me quite boring and tedious. Even if I were learning new material, I picked it up so much quicker than the rest of the students. And because we spent such an inordinate amount of time on each topic, I found myself zoning out in most classes.

World Affairs was my favorite class, not because of the subject or teacher (trust me, if it were possible to die of boredom, it would be in this class.) No, I liked it because I had it with both Bree and Alice. And because Mr. Parson allowed us to choose our own seats, all three of us sat in the back corner of the room.

"Hey, Alice," I said as I sat down.

"Oh, hi, Ness," she replied, just as Bree walked in.

"Hey, guys," she said, sitting down next to me. She was still a bit intimidated by Alice. I couldn't blame her. For being so tiny, Alice could be quite frightening. Of course, many girl were frightened by her beauty and grace as well.

The late bell rang a moment later. As soon as everyone was seated, Mr. Parson turned off the lights and turned on the projector. As always, he put up a power point of notes and we were to copy them as he droned on for the entire class. It was the same everyday.

Bree was the only one of us three who actually took notes. As long as I vaguely paid attention, I could retain the information well enough to do more than fine on the tests. This was the only class Alice didn't already know all the information for, seeing as it was a class based on current world events, but even so, she could already see what was going to be on all the tests ahead of time.

I felt a jab in my back a few minutes into class. It was Alice, poking me with the end of her pencil. I turned around abruptly. She swiftly slipped a piece of paper into my hand. I turned around slowly and then silently unfolded it.

_Do you want to go shopping with me after school today?_

Alice. I rolled my eyes. I had taken after my mother in that aspect. I hated shopping almost as much as she did. I grabbed Alice's hand under the desk and showed her a silent, but firm "no."

A moment later I felt another jab. Reluctantly, I reached out to receive a second note.

_Oh, come on, Ness. Your wardrobe has become pretty dull recently. You need some new things to brighten it up. And we can bring Bree along, too. You know how much she loves shopping, especially with me. Just ask her. If you don't, I will. And we both know what she'll say…_

Talk about blackmailing. I reached for Alice's hand again and showed her a very irritated "fine."

I quickly scribbled a note to Bree.

_Alice wants to take us shopping after school today. Are you up for it?_

She handed me her reply a minute later.

_Sorry, can't today. I have to watch my little brother. But you both can come over my house if you want._

_Ha! _I thought, slapping the note down on Alice's desk.

"Girls, what's going on back there?" Mr. Parson made his way back to our little corner.

Alice quickly shoved the notes into her bag.

"I hope you've been taking notes," he warned.

Breanne, of course, had been diligently taking notes for the duration of the period. Alice had quickly pulled out a notebook. I saw the pages were filled. At first, I thought she'd just pulled out random set of notes, but when I looked more closely, I saw the matched Brianne's perfectly. She must've written them ahead of time.

I inwardly groaned. The notebook open in front of me was as blank as when I bought it.

"Renesmee," Mr. Parson started, but there wasn't much he could say. It wasn't like I was doing poorly in his class. In fact, I got better grades than the kids who actually took notes.

"I'm sorry, sir," I said sweetly, using what my mother called the 'dazzling effect.' "It won't happen again. I promise." I added a good eyelash bat in at the end.

I heard Alice snigger quietly.

Mr. Parson nodded slowly before he heading back to the front of the room. I felt his eyes rest on my chest for a prolonged moment. I could only imagine what would've happened if my father had been in this class. Maybe dazzling was not the best technique.

"You had better not say anything to my father," I hissed in Alice ear when the bell finally rang.

"Oh, I won't Nessie, dear," she promised, and added in an undertone, "Though his reaction _would _be quite amusing."

"So what do you say about going over to Bree's after school," I said loudly, including Breanne into the conversation.

"I actually do have a few things I need to shop for," Alice replied.

We all had lunch next (along with the rest of my family) so we headed down to the cafeteria together.

"I'll see you both after school," Alice said to us once we got there. Alice sat with the rest of my family while I chose to sit with Bree and her friends. (Though Bree would've preferred to sit with my family due to the fact she had quite a crush on my father, despite the fact he was obviously with my mother. It was slightly unsettling when your best friend was in love with your father, but then again, she did think he was my brother. But even so, that was still slightly awkward.)

Bree and I bought our lunches, (pasta for Breanne and salad for me) and we sat down at our usual table with Bree's three other friends, Paige, Maureen, and Ava.

As always, the girls took quite an interest in my beautiful family.

"It's a shame they couldn't adopt just one more gorgeous boy for you, Ness," Ava joked. I kicked her swiftly from under the table. "I'm just kidding. But doesn't it ever made you feel awkward at home because they're all paired up?"

It never really bothered me, considering it was the way I had grown up. It was the same as having your parents and your aunts and uncles together, but there was really no way to explain that. I just shrugged.

I decided it was time I changed the subject. "So, are you guys planning to go to the Winter Formal?"

The annual winter dance was coming up in a few weeks, and I knew for a fact, beside boys, dances were a favorite topic among teenage girls.

It was Maureen who answered first. "Of course! Adam asked me ages ago. I already have a dress picked out."

"I'm still trying to convince Noah to come," said Paige, chewing on a piece of her vibrant red hair. "He hates dances, but I have a feeling he'll come around in the end."

Ava, Bree, and I did not have boyfriends.

Ava was the tallest out of the five of us, and except for possibly me, she had the fullest figure. She had thick, dark hair and smooth, olive toned skin. She could've easily gotten a boyfriend. If she wanted one, that is. Ava was untouchable when it came to boys. She, and she alone, would decide when she would start dating.

"I've had a few guys ask already," stated Ava, and we were not at all surprised. "I think I'll end up going. I just have to decide with whom." She flashed a smile, and we all laughed.

I could tell Bree was a bit bothered. She was still going through that awkward stage in her life that all teenage girls had to suffer through. I knew she was jealous of Ava's many suitors, even if she wouldn't openly admit. I knew it made her feel better that I didn't have a boyfriend.

"Now we just need to find dates for Bree and Nessie," mused Maureen.

"Well, I know Trevor has a crush on Breanne," offered Paige. "But he'd never have the guts to ask her out."

Bree blushed fervently. Trevor was a quiet, very intelligent (and slightly nerdy) boy. He had an endearing look, with his curly brown hair and glasses. He and Bree would make a cute couple.

"I have Pre-Calc with him," I told them. "I could drop him a hint."

"You might need to drop him something a little heavier than a hint," muttered Maureen. "And now for Nessie…hmmm. How about Tim Johnson?"

"Or Derrick Allen?" offered Paige.

"Speak of the devil," said Ava and we all followed her gaze. It was Derrick Allen, striding across the cafeteria, right to our table.

Derrick Allen was fairly good looking. He had shaggy dark hair and green eyes, and his clothes were on the darker, more gothic side. No wonder my friends thought we would make a good pair/

He stopped at our table, right next to me. "Hi, Nessie."

I had spoken to Derrick on occasion, but still, I didn't know him all too well. I couldn't fathom why he was talking to me.

"Hi, Derrick," I replied. "Do you need anything?" I was thinking that maybe he needed some help with his Latin homework, the only class we had together.

"Um, well, I was wondering…Would you go the Winter Formal with me?"

My jaw fell open. He was asking me?

"Go on, Nessie," hissed Maureen in my ear. "Say yes."

Ava kicked me under the table.

I found my voice, and my four expectant friends waited anxiously. "Of course. I'd love to go with you."

It was only after I said it that I thought of what my father's reaction would be.


	4. Dirty Little Secret

_A/N: So sorry its been so long since I last updated. I've had this chapter written for a bit now, but my beta readers seemed to have disappeared on me :( So if you are interested in beta reading for me, let me know :)_

_Previously (a little reminder since its been so long): _

_"Hi, Derrick," I replied. "Do you need anything?" I was thinking that maybe he needed some help with his Latin homework, the only class we had together. _

_"Um, well, I was wondering…Would you go the Winter Formal with me?"_

_My jaw fell open. He was asking me?_

_"Go on, Nessie," hissed Maureen in my ear. "Say yes."_

_Ava kicked me under the table. _

_I found my voice, and my four expectant friends waited anxiously. "Of course. I'd love to go with you." _

_It was only after I said it that I thought of what my father's reaction would be._

_Chapter III—Dirty Little Secret_

**Renesmee**

"Please don't say anything to Alice about what happened at lunch today," I begged Bree as I dragged her as quickly as possible from the cafeteria, lest we bump into my father. I was already nervous that he'd see what had happened in my mind.

"Why not? Don't you want her to know?" Bree asked, panting slightly as I urged her to move faster. "And why are we are we running?"

"I'm fine with her knowing, but I don't want my dad to find out. And she might accidentally let it slip to him. And we're running because…um…I lost my earring in the hallway, and I want to look for it before the hallways become too crowded."

I knew she didn't believe me about my lame earring excuse, but she let it drop. Instead, she prodded me about the initial topic instead. "Why would your father be mad that you got a date? The rest of your siblings are dating. Plus, your father seems like a really nice guy."

She was referring to Carlisle, who had so much love and compassion that he couldn't even bear to kill a fly. If only that were the case…but no. My father, Edward, whom Breanne knew as my "brother," was not nearly as understanding as Carlisle and could care less if the entire population had dates. I would have to face his wrath as soon as he got a good look into my mind.

There was no way to really explain that, so I seized the moment to change the subject. "Look!" I exclaimed, pointing down the hallway.

"What?" Breanne asked, turning abruptly, her eyes following my outstretched hand. In the split second she was turned away, I reached up for my earlobe and swiftly pulled the earring from it. It clattered to the floor with a thud too soft for human ears to hear.

"I don't see anything," Breanne told me, only a second later.

"No, I mean here," I told her, pointing to the ground a few feet away to where my earring had fallen.

"Your earring!" she exclaimed, picking up the silver hoop for me. "So you really did lose it..."

I only shrugged, taking the piece of jewelry from her hand and inserting it back into my ear. Luckily, the bell rang just before I had to come up with another lie.

"I'll meet you by your bus after school," I told Breanne, hurrying down the hallway toward my pre-calc class.

I took my usual seat in the back of the room, preparing for yet another hour of staring listlessly out the window.

Mrs. Simon ended class early, leaving us a few minutes to get started on our homework if we pleased. So naturally, everyone had seized the opportunity to socialize with their peers. That is, everyone except for Trevor, who was fervently working his way through the stack of homework Mrs. Simon had assigned.

I approached his desk slowly, not wanting to startle him.

"Hey, Trevor." He jerked his head up in surprise, despite my attempts.

"H-h-hey, N-n-e-essie," he stuttered, fumbling around with his papers. He blushed deeply, every inch of his face turning crimson, even the tips of his ears. I could acutely smell the blood as it flushed his face.

I lowered my head so my face was closer to his; he was really quite short. I hoped Bree wouldn't mind. Even without heels, Bree would still dwarf him.

"Are you going to the Winter Formal?" I asked him, watching as his face grew even redder—if that were even possible.

He opened his mouth but no sound came out. "Are you asking me?" he finally managed to squeak.

_What?! _His comment took me by surprise. But of course that's what it would look like. "Hell, no," I answered, then realized that sounded quite harsh. "I mean, not that I don't want to go with you or anything—I'm already going with someone else. But I do know someone who would love to go with you—Breanne Shideler."

His face changed from bright red to deep purple to pallid white then back to crimson again. "Ummm…well…ummm…"

"She'll be by her bus by the end of the school day. Bus twenty-seven. I know she'd love to go with you."

Then bell rang, then, and I merged into the crowded hallway, leaving Trevor sitting motionless with his math homework piled in front of him, hoping against the odds that he would somehow have to guts to meet Breanne by her bus.

---

Two twenty and fifty-six seconds. Two twenty and fifty-seven seconds. Two twenty and fifty-eight seconds. Two twenty and fifty-nine seconds.

Two twenty one.

The bell rang, signally the end of the day. I shot up from my seat and was out of the classroom within seconds. Two twenty one was my favorite time of day. Why they came up with such an obscure time, I will never know.

I didn't bother stopping at my locker; I had most of the books I needed in my bag already, and I did not care enough about those I did not have to take the time to retrieve them.

I pulled my cell phone out of the front pocket of my bag to text my father.

_hey hope u had a good day. i just wanted to let u no im going to brees house after school today. hugs and kisses ness_

Hopefully he wouldn't suspect my ploy to escape his mindreading abilities. It wasn't like I didn't end up going over Bree's house most afternoons anyway. And it wouldn't hurt to butter him up by actually telling him where I was going for once, which I tended to often "forget." Maybe he'd take it a bit easier on me when he saw what I good daughter I was trying to be.

"Yeah, right." I turned abruptly to see tiny Alice standing behind me. "Buttering him up will do you no good. You don't even have to see the future to know that."

"You can't even see my future," I reminded her. "And—wait! How do you know about that? You're not the one who can read minds!"

"I have my ways." She smiled cryptically. I wanted to smack her, but I knew it would do me no good.

"Bree didn't tell you, did she?" I asked hopefully; I wanted to give Bree more credit than that.

"Your little friend did not say a word," she assured me.

"Then how do you know? Please, Alice. Please tell me." I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. "Pwease."

"Fine," she muttered, mumbling something under her breath about me acting like a five-year-old. "I have English with those two girls you sit with at lunch—what are their names? Paige and Ava? Anyway, it was _all _they whispered about during class. So naturally, I listened to their entire conversation."

Hopefully my father had not already found out by these means.

"Please don't say a word to my dad," I begged Alice. "And don't let him see it in your mind. Go somewhere until I get home or something…" I knew I was fighting the inevitable, but the longer I prolonged it, the better. Maybe. Or else it would just be worse. But I didn't really want to find out either way.

"I'm going shopping, Nessie, dear, remember?" she reminded me. "And I wouldn't dream of mentioning it to your father. The last thing I want to do is get caught in the middle of this."

"Thanks so much, Alice!" I engulfed her in a tight hug.

"It's a good thing I don't need to breathe," she muttered into the material of my shirt. I released her a moment later.

"See you later, Ness," Alice told me, pecking me quickly on the cheek before prancing down the hallway.

My phone vibrated a moment later.

_Don't stay too late. Text me when you're ready to go. I'll come pick you up. I love you._

He was such a typical father, despite the fact that he was forever trapped in the body of a seventeen-year-old.

_thx but dont worry about it. alice is shopping and she can pick me up on her way home. love ya too_

There was no way I was getting into a car alone with my father, with my mind open wide for him to see and nowhere for me to run. I decided I'd better text Alice so I could actually make a truth out of my lie.

_could u pick me up when ur done shopping? thx sooooooooooo much. btw ur the best aunt ever._

My phone buzzed only seconds later.

_flattery will get you nowhere, renesmee carlie cullen. i will see what i can do._

Of course Alice would choose now of all times to be difficult. If worse came to worse, I'd walk home. Bree only lived a few miles away, an easy distance for me to run with my enhanced speed.

I shoved my phone in my pocket, heading for the back exit. I scanned the crowd and spotted Bree easily, standing beside her bus. And Trevor was there.

I involuntarily smiled. My plan had surprisingly worked. I backed away from the doorway, against the side of the school so I was out of Bree's view. Trevor was already nervous enough, and I knew that I would be pushing my luck if I interfered any further.

"What are you doing, Nessie?" The voice startled me, making me jump. I turned to see Rosalie looking at me curiously.

I shushed her, peering over her shoulder to see the progress. It still looked like Trevor was stuttering over his proposition.

Rosalie followed my gaze but couldn't seem to focus in on the place my eyes rested. "What in the world are you looking at?"

"My friend—Breanne. She's being asked to the Winter Formal."

She jerked her head around, this time knowing exactly where to look. "You mean by _him?_" Disgust lined her voice.

Fury rose within me. I hated how Rosalie tended to only look for outer beauty. "What's wrong with him? I think he's adorable—and he'll be the perfect date for Bree."

Rosalie snorted, tossing her perfect blonde hair. "And are you going to this dance?"

"I don't know," I answered too quickly, not wanting to reveal the news of my date to anyone else. It was already bad enough that Alice knew.

"I'm surprised you haven't been asked yet—then again, it's probably better you haven't. Edward would have a heart attack and die all over again." She ended with a laugh, running her fingers through her hair. I saw a few boys turn their heads and stare at her for a prolonged moment.

I only grimaced; if only Rosalie knew that her words were not a joke.

"Do you need a ride home?" Rosalie asked me. "I think Alice went shopping…"

"I'm actually going over Bree's for a bit, but thanks, Rose," I smiled, hugging her briefly. "I'll see you later tonight."

"Bye, Nessie, darling," Rosalie called, heading toward the parking lot where my father's car was parked.

I saw that Bree had not moved an inch since I had last looked at her, though Trevor had now gone. And Bree was grinning like a fool.

I quickly ran across the lot to join her.

"You'll never believe what happened!" Bree squealed, grabbing hold of my arm as soon as I was within reach.

I smiled, plastering a fake surprised expression on my face. "You'll have to tell me everything."


	5. Tell Me a Story

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. This chapter is extra long, so I hope that it makes up for my lack of updates. As always, let me know what you think (:_

* * *

_Chapter IV—Tell Me a Story_

**Renesmee**

No one was home when we arrived at Bree's house. Her parents had divorced only a year ago, which had her mother working overtime, and her older sister, Adair, was at dance, as always. Caden, her younger brother, would not be home from school for another hour.

Bree's house was nice but slightly cluttered due to the fact that rarely anyone was home. Bree threw today's mail onto the growing stack from previous days that her mother never seemed to get around to reading.

Bree ignored the mess and led me up to her bedroom. It was quite the opposite of my dark little cave. The walls were painted pale purple with matching curtains with designs of daisies stitched onto the material. The dressers and shelves were lined with pictures of Bree throughout all the years of her life and other glass trinkets she had collected. A large, queen sized bed rested in the center of the room, with two bean bag chairs on the floor by the foot of the bed, right in front of a mini television.

Bree collapsed on one of the bean bags, and I followed suit. Bree still had a giddy expression on her face, and I couldn't help but to smile myself. I loved seeing her so happy.

Bree reached for the remote and switched on the tiny TV to a rerun of Law and Order. I had never taken much interest in the show myself, but I knew it was one of Bree's favorites. We had exhausted the topic of Trevor on the bus, so we sat in comfortable silence for about ten minutes, only half focused on the TV show. I was still concerned with the initial run in I would inevitably have with my father, and I knew that Bree's perfect afternoon was still on her mind.

"Well, I guess we should start on our homework…" Bree sighed, prying open her backpack and pulling out a massive geometry book.

I, too, decided to get a start on my pre-calc work. I began to breeze through the problems as I absentmindedly watched the TV and allowed my mind to wander.

_How terrible would my father's reaction be? Was I overreacting or being reasonable? _I was seriously considering asking Bree if I could sleep over just to avoid the encounter...

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud groan from Bree. "I _hate _math!" she moaned, throwing her pencil on the floor in frustration.

"It's okay, Bree," I said, trying to soothe her. It was hard for me to see her frustration seeing as every school subject came naturally to me, but I tried my best to sympathize. "Math is hard for me too."

That was the wrong response. Breanne only scoffed. She knew perfectly well that math gave me no difficultly. She had seen me fly through my pre-calc in five minutes during lunch when I had left it for the last minute.

"Bree, everyone's good at certain things, and math just isn't your strong subject…" I tried again.

She only glared at me. "Not like you would know. You're perfect at everything…" she sighed heavily.

This was one of the difficult things about being friends with Breanne. She was forever comparing herself to everyone else and got very upset when she could not reach the same standards. Teenage girls were so hard to deal with. One minute, they'd be happy and joking around, and the next, they'd be furious at something seemingly minor you said. I was quite positive I would never get used to it.

"Breanne, I—"

I stopped short. My sensitive ears heard the click of the front door before Bree did. Her little brother was home. I knew Bree was annoyed by her little brother, but I loved him to pieces.

"I'm homeeeeee, Breeeee," he shrieked, running up the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Bree rolled her eyes as he came barreling into the room as minute later. As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up. "Nessie!!!"

"Hey, Caden!" I laughed as he tackled me, wrapping his small arms around my neck.

Caden was only five years, but he looked exactly like a miniature version of Breanne. He had the same strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes and the same bright smile.

"Caden, you know my friends don't appreciate it when you climb all over them," Breanne complained, switching her television off.

"Nessie, you don't mind, do you?" He smiled cherubically up at me, and even if I had minded, I wouldn't have had the heart to say so.

"Of course not, little man," I assured him, ruffling his hair—which earned me an eye roll from Bree.

"I'm hungry. I'm going down to make some popcorn," Bree informed us, rising from her bean bag and slamming the door behind her. I knew I should follow, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with her. Instead, I turned to Caden.

"How was school today?" I asked him.

Caden made a face, which made him even more adorable.

"Aw." I frowned, catching his gaze. I wondered what he found so terrible about kindergarten. From what I had heard, it was supposed to be a fun and enjoyable learning environment where one had the opportunity to play and interact with other children. But of course, I had never had to go through the actual experience myself, so I wasn't one to talk. "What's so terrible about school?"

He bit on his lip, thinking about a way to answer. "None of the kids talk to me. I want to be at home where I can play with you, Bree, Addie, and Mommy," he informed me.

My heart ached for him, because I knew exactly how he felt, though my situation was reversed. While he ached for his family here at home, I had longed for the opportunity to escape my family and interact with others.

"I'm sorry, bud," I told him, squeezing his shoulders. It was in that moment that I realized that I was actually closer in age to five-year-old Caden than I was to Breanne.

His smiled, lighting up his face. "Will you tell me a story?"

My lips melted into a smile. Caden loved my stories.

It had all started the first time I had slept over Bree's house a few months prior. Bree's mother had been working late as usual, and her older sister, Adair, was out with her boyfriend for the evening, so Breanne and I were in charge of putting Caden to bed.

"_I'm so, so sorry, Ness," Breanne profusely apologized; I knew she was embarrassed and upset at her mother for giving her the task. _

_But I assured her that I didn't mind in the least. In all truthfulness, I was fascinated by her younger brother. I had never had the opportunity to interact with young children, with the exception of Claire, and I was eager to finally have the chance._

"_I want a story, Bree," Caden begged after he had pulled on his dinosaur pajamas and was tucked snugly under his racecar comforter. _

"_Not tonight, Cade," Breanne hissed, reaching for the light. _

"_No! No! No!" Caden screeched, kicking the comforter off and crossing his arms defiantly across his small chest. _

"_Please, Caden." Breanne's voice was edged with tears. I knew she thought he was ruining our sleepover; I could tell she had wanted it to be perfect. _

"_We can read him a story, Bree," I told her. "Really, I don't mind in the least."_

_Caden's tantrum stopped mid scream. He wiped his eyes and said, sniffling, "Really?"_

"_Sure, little guy." I smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What story do you want?"_

"_His book shelf is over there," Bree informed me, motioning to the opposite end of the room where a bookshelf that was jammed with an abundance of children's books rested. _

"_I don't want a book," Caden informed us. "I want Nessie to tell me a story."_

_He surprised me by climbing into my lap; he arranged himself contently, smiling up at me. _

"_Is that okay with you, Nessie?" Bree asked hopefully, sitting down at the other end of the bed._

"_Of course!" I assured her, smiling down at her brother. I liked holding him in my lap, having his small, warm form in my arms. I had spent a great deal of my younger years in the arms of my over fawning family; it was a wonder I had ever learned to walk, but I had never had the opportunity to be the holder. As I smiled down at him, I saw life through different eyes, if only for a moment. I had always been the child, the baby of the family, and though I was rapidly growing, changing, learning, I had never had to take on the responsibility of caring for someone younger than me. I wanted nothing more than to love him at that moment; I wanted to protect him and hold the way so many others had done for me in the past. _

"_What do you want me to tell you a story about?"_

_He chewed on his bottom lip, deep in thought. "You choose," he finally answered. _

_It was my turn to think. I tried to remember back to when my mother read me bedtime stories. Poetry. Shakespeare. The classics. Nothing that would hold the interest of a five-year-old boy. Then there were the classic Brothers Grimm fairytales. But I knew that he had probably heard them all a thousand times. _

_Suddenly, I had an idea. We were currently studying Greek mythology in English. Of course, I would have to water down the story a bit, but it was certainly something I thought he might enjoy. _

"_Once, there was a beautiful princess named Danae, and she had a baby boy named Perseus…" I began._

_Caden held onto to every word I said and seemed delighted in the new story until we got to the part about Medusa, the gorgon. _

"_What's a gorgon?" he asked wrinkling his nose in confusion. _

"_Hmm…" I tried to think of the best way to describe the hideous monster. "Well, Medusa was very ugly, and she had snakes on her head instead of hair."_

_He bit his lip, trying his best to picture the creature I was describing. At once I came up an idea, one that would earn me a punishment if my father knew what I planned to do. But that made me want to try it all the more. _

"_Here…take my hand," I told him. He placed his small hand in mine. "My father and I used to play a game when I was little," I lied, but it seemed like a reasonable story. "We both hold hands and imagine very, very hard together, and sometimes, it would help me see the picture better."_

"_I want to play!" he replied eagerly, grasping my hand harder._

_Breanne looked at me curiously, trying to figure out exactly how my game would actually work. I only smiled at her. _

"_Are you ready, Cade?" He grinned up at me. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "It only works if we keep our eyes closed. Do your best imagining!"_

_We both closed our eyes; I could feel him quiver slightly with excitement. Very subtly, I showed him an image of the least hideous gorgon I could I could muster. _

"_I see it!" he shrieked. "It worked! Boy is she ugly!"_

_I laughed, glad my little game had worked. Bree looked completely stunned. "He just has a good imagination," I told her, giving her a wink. _

"_Can we imagine a picture of An-andro—what's her name?" he asked when we reached the end and learned of the princess Perseus had saved. _

"_Of course we can do Andromeda." I took his hand, and we closed our eyes. This time, I conjured a picture of Breanne, wearing traditional Greek garb with a golden laurel wreath on her head. _

"_She looks sorta like Bree!" Caden exclaimed in delight. "She's so pretty." Bree blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. _

"_So Perseus and Andromeda got married and lived happily ever after. And when they died after living a long and happy life, the gods placed them up in the sky as constellations—star pictures—and you can still see them there today."_

_Caden was still wide awake at this point, bouncing with excitement. "Can we go out and see them. Please! Pretty please, Bree!" he begged. _

_I glanced at Bree, wondering if this would be something we'd be permitted to do. She only shrugged; I could tell she wanted to see the constellations as well. _

"_It's the perfect time of year to see them so I don't see why not," I told her brother, watching the grin spread across his face. _

_I picked Caden up and carried him outside with Bree following close behind. The September air was slightly chilly but not unbearable. _

"_Where are they?" Caden was practically jumping up and down in my arms. _

_I squinted into the night sky, glad that it was almost clear. "We'll look for Andromeda first. There she is." I told him. "Next to the stars that look like a 'W'."_

_Both he and Breanne looked up, searching the heavens. _

_Bree found it first. "I see it!"_

"_Where?" Caden was frustrated. _

"_Can you see the one that looks like a 'W'?" I traced the air in front of me to show him. _

"_I think so…"_

"_Just look over to the side a bit to the side." His gaze followed my finger. "There's her legs, and those are her arms."_

"_That doesn't look like a girl." Caden was disappointed. He didn't see the same beauty in the stars that I had grown to love. _

_I took his hand in mine to show him another picture. I connected the dots with an intricate outline of the princess I had shown him earlier. _

"Now_ I see her," he informed me, his eyes lighting up as bright as the stars. _

His eyes looked the same now as we sat in Breanne's room, waiting expectantly for a story.

"Well, little man, what do you want this one to be about?" I asked him. He already had grasped my hand, eager to play the Imagine Game.

"Hmm…" he thought, biting on his lip as he always did when he was deep in thought. "I want you to choose."

It was the same response as always. I sighed, racking my brain for an appropriate story to tell.

"Have you ever heard the story of the fisherman and the jinnee?" I asked him.

"Like the Genie in Aladdin?" His eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite Disney movie.

"Sort of except this jinnee was much bigger, and he was very mean."

"Let's imagine it!" Caden exclaimed excitedly, tugging at my hand.

I tried to remember the picture from the _One Thousand and One Nights _story book my father had read to me. It was a colorful picture of an enormous genie emerging from a copper bottle.

"He's kinda scary," Caden whispered, gripping my hand tighter. "I like the Genie from Aladdin better."

"What are you two up to?" Breanne was back with a large bowel of popcorn. She didn't look particularly happy, but at least she wasn't angry anymore.

"Nessie is telling me a story!" Caden informed her, jumping up from my lap to grab a handful of popcorn.

"Oh," said Breanne, sitting back down on her bean bag and taking a handful of popcorn herself and chewing on it thoughtfully. "What about?"

"A jinnee!" Caden exclaimed, throwing himself into Breanne's lap. She tried to push him away, but he remained firmly rooted. "But not a nice one like the Genie from Aladdin…"

"You know," Bree stated, giving Caden a good shove so he toppled off her lap. He didn't seem to mind. He only grabbed another handful of popcorn and plopped himself down in my lap instead. "The Imagine Game doesn't work when I play it with Caden. In fact, he's even tried to play with my mom and Adair, but the only one its works with is you…"

"I don't know why," I lied as smoothly as I could. I had not taken this into account. "It's his imagination, so I don't know why he says it only works with me."

"But it _does _only work with you!" Caden exclaimed, smiling up at me. "You must be special, Nessie."

I smiled down at him.

"You should be his sister instead," Breanne mumbled. "Want some popcorn, Ness?" She held the bowl of popcorn out to me.

"No thanks," I declined. I couldn't stand the buttery snack that almost everyone loved.

She shrugged, taking another handful for herself. From downstairs, I heard the garage door open. Caden perked up as soon as he heard it. "Mommy and Addie are home!"

He sprung up from my lap and bounded down the stairs.

"That kid never runs out of energy," I smiled at Bree.

She smiled back. "Nope, he doesn't."

I leaned over to give her a hug. I knew for a fact a hug was essential for making up. "Friends?"

She hugged me in return. "Friends," she agreed.

We joined Caden downstairs in the kitchen. It was already hectic and bustling. Her mother had ordered Chinese take out for dinner, which Adair was setting up buffet style on the island counter. Her mother had her cell phone jammed between her neck and shoulder as she unloaded groceries.

"Oh, hi, Nessie," her mother mumbled a quick hello my way. Bree's mother was pretty. She had blonde hair that was only just beginning to gray. She was quite thin and tall—she had the body of a dancer, which Adair had inherited. Her face was angular, but not in a sharp or unbecoming way. It suited her nicely. I could see the strong resemblance between Breanne and her mother. I knew that once Breanne emerged from the awkward stage of puberty, she would be quite beautiful like her mother. "Would you two mind getting the rest of the groceries from the car?"

There were only a few bags left in the car so we were easily able to bring them back in one trip. By the time we returned to the kitchen, Bree's mother was off the phone.

"Do you want to stay for dinner, Nessie, dear?" she offered. "We have quite a bit of food."

The thought of going home and facing my father made me feel ill, but the thought of eating Chinese food was almost just as nauseating.

As I was mulling over my options, the door bell suddenly rang.

"I'll get it!" Bree yelled. I followed her down the hallway to the front door.

As Bree tugged open the door, a familiar odor filled my nostrils.

Shit!

I shoved Bree out of the way. "Why the hell are you here?" I hissed.

Bree only pushed herself between me and the door. She shifted her eyes between me and the figure standing on the threshold.

"Who is _that_?"


	6. Busted

_A/N: So this chapter is shorter than I would've liked it to be. But the good news is, I already have the next chapter written. So the more you guys review, the faster I'll get that posted (:_

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_Chapter V--Busted_

**Renesmee**

_That _happened to be no other than Jacob Black.

"Why are you here?" I hissed again, significantly eyeing Breanne. She had no idea who Jacob was; and I had been trying pretty damn hard to keep it that way.

"Who is he?" Breanne asked again. I ignored her question.

"I'll be right back down," I mumbled irritably. I ran up the steps faster than I should've and grabbed my bag and shoes from Breanne's bedroom. I hurried back down the steps.

"ThanksforhavingmeoverIwillseeyoutomorrow," I mumbled to Bree, barely understanding the incoherent jumble of words myself.

Before she could answer, I slid out the door and slammed it loudly. I strode over to the car—my father's Lexus, and yanked open the door. I refused to look at Jacob as he slid into the driver's seat and started the car.

Jacob seemed content ignoring me. He turned the radio on and began to hum along to a song I didn't recognize.

I sighed loudly. Jacob only began to hum louder; I could hear the smile lining his voice. I turned abruptly around in my seat, giving Jake a harsh glare.

"Why the hell did you come get me? I thought Alice was coming!"

"She got a little held up at the mall—so she called your house and asked if someone else could come get you. I just happened to be around so I offered to do it."

"How nice of you!" I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "What the hell am I supposed to tell Breanne?" As I said the words, my cell phone began to vibrate. I pressed the reject button and turned off my phone. I was in no mood to explain things to Breanne right now. "What did you tell her anyway?"

"Well, you didn't really give us much time to say much of anything," Jacob reminded me. "I just told her I was a family friend."

"I was really hoping that she'd never have to find out about you…" I muttered, turning away from Jacob. I turned my gaze out the window. It was beginning to drizzle. I watched as we sped past the thick foliage, which was only a blur of green. Jacob drove almost as fast as my father. "I didn't want to have to explain you."

"You know, you made it worse by making a show out of it," Jacob pointed out; I heard a grin in his voice.

"Shut up," I mumbled, refusing to divert my gaze from the window.

"You're just mad because I'm right," he told me smugly. I could imagine his lips turning up into a grin. When Jacob smiled, I found it harder to stay angry with him. Which was exactly why I refused to face him.

"Shut up!"

He only chuckled. We pulled into the long, winding driveway a moment later. As soon as the car came to a stop, I yanked open the door and stormed out of the car.

"You're welcome!" Jacob called as I stomped toward the front door.

I turned abruptly on my heel, watching as Jacob stood in the rain, grinning like a fool. My eyes caught his, those warm brown one's that looked exactly like a sad puppy's that you couldn't stay mad at no matter how hard you tried. "Go home, Jake." The words did not come out nearly as vehemently as I had hoped.

I pushed open the front door, entering the spacious foyer. The house was silent, and I subconsciously wondered where everyone was. I let my bag slide off my shoulder, kicking it out of sight behind the immaculate white couch. A moment later, my mother entered through the screen door, clad in a bathrobe, her long hair dripping wet.

"You and Dad had dibs on the pool today?" I raised my eyebrows knowingly.

It had been Emmett's idea to get a pool, and his idea to use it for his and Rosalie's own…pleasure. He had insisted that it was "wicked awesome" and that everyone _had _to try it. It was now turning out to be the most popular pastime in our eventless household. I only tried not to think too much about what exactly went on in the pool when I used it myself.

My mother lowered her head shamefully, avoiding my gaze. She pulled her bathrobe more snugly across her chest. It was as though she were blushing without the actual blush. Apparently, that had been one of her prominent talents in her human life. Any mention of my mother's sex life embarrassed her, especially in front of me.

My father entered the room a moment later, wearing only a towel on his hips. His exposed torso glistened with tiny droplets of water.

_Shit, _I thought to myself. I hadn't planned very well for the initial run in with my father; I had been too furious with Jacob to do any planning on the car ride home. My first instinct was to run, but I would only draw more attention to myself. _Stay calm, _I commanded myself. _Don't think about lunch…_

I began to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin fervently in my mind until I could manage to slip away.

_Fidem meum obligo…_

My father didn't seem to notice me at first as he slid his arms around my mother's waist and nuzzled her neck with his lips.

I began to slowly step away.

"Umm…darling," my mother muttered, motioning toward me.

Shit.

My father's head jerked up. "Nessie!" he "blushed" just as my mother had. "I didn't see you there…"

"I noticed…" I mumbled, dying to get away. I continued to chant the Pledge. _Vexillo civitatum, __Americae Foederatarum, et Rei…_

My father eyed me warily, finally taking the time to focus in on my thoughts.

_Publicae, pro qua stat. _"I'll leave you two love birds alone and finish up my homework," I said in a rush, turning to hurry up the steps.

"Not so fast," my father warned me.

Shit, shit, shit. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to focus on my Latin recitation._ Uni nationi, Deo ducente non dividendae, cum libertate iustitiaque omnibus._

"You're hiding something from me." It wasn't a question; it was an accusation.

"Are you sure?" my mother defended me automatically.

"She's reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin, Bella," he snapped. "I'm sure."

My mother cowered slightly, not wanting to anger him any further while he was in an irritated mood.

"We need to talk," my father stated.

"With you dressed like that?" I raised my eyebrows as I motioned to his lack of clothing. Unlike my mother, I tended to further aggravate my father when he was in a mood.

He pulled his lips into a thin line. He knew I was making a good point. He sighed heavily. "It will only take me a few minutes to dress. You will wait in here until I come back."

His disappeared around the corner with my mother.

So of course, as soon as he was out of sight, I ran.


	7. The Truth plus More

_A/N: Much thanks to Taybee who beta read this for me (:_

* * *

_Chapter VI--The Truth Plus More_

**Renesmee**

I didn't get very far.

I had run out the front door in desperation, not entirely sure where I was planning to go, only to run headlong into Jacob. We both fell to the ground in a tangled heap.

"Damn," I muttered, rubbing my head and pulling my body out from underneath Jacob's torso. "I thought you went home."

"I did—well, I was heading home when I realized I forgot my hat," he mumbled, pulling himself up from the ground and dusting himself off.

"Jacob, you don't wear hats," I stated, slightly annoyed at myself for knowing that trivial fact about him. In my eight years, I had never once seen Jacob wear at hat—not a baseball cap or a knitted ski cap or anything in between.

His face turned red. "I know I don't usually, but Emmett gave me a Seattle Seahawks baseball cap—I think he was just trying to be nice. And I forgot to grab it on my way out. And I didn't think it would look very good if Emmett just found it lying around—ya know, like I was ungrateful or something…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head, waiting for me to speak.

The relationship between my family and Jacob was an awkward one. They used to hate each other bitterly until little me was born and created world peace. Now my family, besides Rosalie, tried profusely to make Jacob feel welcome and accepted—even when I did not.

"Well, I guess you can go inside and look for it," I told him, moving away from the front door so he could enter.

"Aren't you coming back inside—wait. Where _are _you going, Nessie?" Jacob raised an eyebrow, questioning me.

I was ready to come up with a lie, but I realized I had done enough of that for one day. Sighing in defeat, I answered, "I'm hiding from my father."

Jacob smirked. Like me, Jacob found it very amusing to irk my father. He had done his fair share of that when my mother and my father were back in the dating stage, and he had had a crush on my mother (or so he thought. The only reason he had been so attracted to my mother was because one of the eggs within her ovaries would someday become his future soul mate.)

"What did you do this time, Ness?" For a minute, I could remember why I used to love him so much. Unlike a parent, though he could certainly care for me like one, Jacob didn't find faults with me. He didn't get angry when I misbehaved—in fact, he usually encouraged it. And he certainly never punished me.

"I got asked to the Winter Formal by a boy and said yes," I told him, watching his face carefully.

It wasn't like other times—like when I had crawled out on the roof, or gotten my ears pierced without permission, or the hundreds of other times I had gotten in trouble. This was different. It was different because it involved a boy—a boy taking the place of what Jacob so desperately wanted to be for me.

He looked hurt, like I had slapped him, which was almost worse than the thought of my father's anger. But I sucked in a breath and pushed away my feelings of sympathy. Why shouldn't I be able to be a normal girl and go to a dance with a normal boy in my class? It didn't seem fair that I was expected to love Jacob and only Jacob.

"And you haven't told Edward yet?" Jacob managed to speak, searching my face as though he were looking for the little girl who used to adore him with every fiber of her being.

But she was no longer there. The little girl had grown up, and her endless adoration had faded away. This little girl was ready to live her own life. "No—but he's about to have a chat with me. He knows I'm hiding something. He just doesn't know what, yet."

"Well, good luck with that. He'll probably lock you up in a tower with no doors and keep you there until you're at least forty," Jacob joked with a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes. I could tell that a part of him wanted my father to do exactly that. "I'll see you later, Ness."

I watched him disappear into the surrounding forest to phase into his wolf form. As I lost sight of him, I realized Jacob had left once again without his hat.

* * *

I decided it would be best to get the "talk" over with, so I reentered the house and sat on the edge of the white couch in the living room, waiting for my father. I picked at a thread poking out of the soft cushion, thinking about all the possible ways this could end.

My father entered the room only moments later. He was now wearing a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. The only evidence of his swimming pool love making was his wet bronze hair.

"Where's Mom?" I asked nervously, not wanting to face him alone.

"I'm right here, darling," my mother replied, now wearing a pair of sweat pants and one of my father's t-shirts, a sin in Alice's book.

I let out a sigh of relief, allowing my mother to wrap her arm around my shoulders as sat down beside me.

My father paced across the room in front of us, his eyebrows knitting together as he tuned into my thoughts. I opened my mind fully, allowing the entire lunch scene to replay. It was easier to let him see it rather than it explain it myself.

My mother waited expectantly to hear the situation.

"How well do you know this Derrick?" my father finally spoke.

"He's my Latin class—we talk sometimes. He's a really nice guy," I stressed.

My father only grimaced. A nice guy in my eyes was a totally different story in my father's.

"You got asked out?" my mother exclaimed, turning to face me, looking excited rather than upset like my father.

"Not exactly," I told my mother. "He just asked me to the Winter Formal—which doesn't mean we're going to end up dating or anything." I eyed my father significantly as I said the words.

"Well I think that's wonderful," my mother beamed, turning to look at my father. I could tell she was pulling away her shield so she could scold my father in her mind. Sometimes, I just loved my mother.

"But she's only eight-years-old, Bella," my father reminded her.

"But she's not your typical eight-year-old," my mother reminded him in turn. "And as Nessie said, they're only going to the dance. You can put your foot down on dating right now, but I think you should let your daughter have the opportunity to go to this dance and interact with these kids like a normal child. I think she deserves it."

I was surprised to see my mother defending my case so fervently; she usually agreed wholeheartedly with my father.

"Fine," my father muttered, caving in. I was about to go over jump into his arms, thanking him profusely. But of course he could not leave it at that. There had to be a catch. "You may go to the dance with Derrick on one condition: you bring him over so I can meet him."

Damn.

* * *

"You know," Rosalie stated as she surfaced from the pool, "it's going to be a bit of a problem for your father to meet your boyfriend. He is supposed to be your brother, after all."

I swam up next to her, hanging onto the edge of the wall. It was now dark—and clear for once. Millions of stars dotted the black velvet sky. And it was freezing. Even with my abnormally high body temperature, the cold water was beginning to penetrate through my skin and make my lips turn blue.

"You have a point," I agreed, pushing myself away from the wall as I began to tread water in the middle of the pool. "Knowing him, he'll just pretend to be a really over protective older brother—and he's not my boyfriend. Don't even _think _that word around my father or else he'll take back what he said."

Rosalie laughed, dipping her head under the water. She squirted a steam of water through her teeth directed at my face. "Nessie has a boyfriend!" Her shrill voice echoed into the night.

"Rosalie!" I shrieked, splashing her back.

"You are so immature," she jokingly complained, swimming back over to the wall. The reflection of the bright full moon reflected off the surface of that water, making the dark water shimmer. It lapped rhythmically against the side of pool.

"Look who's talking…" I mumbled, swimming over to join her. I turned my face to look up at the stars, picking out the familiar constellations that were not visible beneath the thick layer of clouds on most nights.

"Have you ever gone skinning dipping before?" Rosalie broke the silence a moment later.

"What?" Her question caught me off guard. I was glad she couldn't see my cheeks color in darkness.

"Well, have you?" she prodded. Her perfect teeth gleamed in the moonlight as she grinned maniacally.

"No," I muttered. "Should I have?"

"I don't know…" Rosalie replied, stirring the water with her pale finger. "I wasn't sure if you'd ever snuck down here at night—like the little rebel you are."

"Well, I haven't, and I don't plan to, considering the fact that no in this family ever sleeps," I told her continuing to look at the stars. "Have you even skinny dipped—I mean besides you and Emmett…um…yeah," I trailed off awkwardly.

Rosalie laughed. "Of course I have, you silly girl. I think its something everyone must do at least once in their life. And it's much better if you have a friend to do it with you." She raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"No, Rosalie!" I moaned. "Not now! Not with...them right inside." By _them, _I meant my father. Knowing my luck, he'd walk out right as I was stripping.

"But that's the fun of it!" exclaimed Rosalie. "The fact that it's so forbidden—so risky makes it so much fun…"

"But this isn't the same," I protested. "It's just plain stupid. Plus, we're practically naked in our bikinis anyway."

"You're just saying that because you're scared," Rosalie smirked, tugging at the string of her top, letting it float on top of the silky water. She pulled of her bottoms and threw both pieces onto the walkway beside the pool.

She dove under the water, her pale, naked skin gleaming in the moonlight. She looked like a mermaid or a naiad from a myth as she swam beneath the stars.

"Fine," I mumbled, peeling my wet bikini off as well. Despite the fact that my bikini barely covered anything in first place, I felt considerably more exposed without it. Without my suit on, the water rushed around me in places it hadn't before, fully engulfing me in its liquid embrace.

A peel of laughter rang through me as I dove to the bottom to join Rosalie. Under the water, it was a whole different world. The water echoed around me, turning out the other sounds of the night. As soon as Rosalie saw me, she grinned at me through the veil of water.

We surfaced a moment later.

"Isn't this fun?" Rosalie asked me, pushing her body above the water so she could float on her back.

"I suppose so…" I watched as the water slid off my ghostly pale skin. I giggled in spite of myself. "I feel like a water goddess!"

I felt somehow different—free, invigorated—and yes, completely naked.

"You are a water goddess!" Rosalie laughed, splashing me and disappearing underneath the depths of the water.

The magic soon wore off, and my teeth began to chatter. My skin was completely pruned, a tribute to my human attributes.

I looked over at Rosalie, flawless and not at all affected by the temperature of the water.

"Thanks, Rose," I told her, my voice echoing eerily off the surface of the still water.

She cocked her head in confusion. "For what?"

I smiled at her through the darkness. "For everything."


End file.
